Amado Carrillo Fuentes
was a Mexican drug smuggler who led the Juárez Cartel. Known as the The Lord of the Skies for his eloquent and sophisticated air smuggling network, he was closely allied with the Colombian Cali cartel till its demise in 1994, after which he began to cater to the Norte del Valle cartel. Before he become the leader of his cartel, he was a part of the Guadalajara cartel and was sent to Ojinaga to work under veteran smuggler Pablo Acosta. He died in 1997 following an unsuccessful abdominal liposuction and plastic surgery. Biography Early life Amado Carrillo Fuentes was born in Sinaloa in 1956. He was the nephew of Ernesto 'Don Neto' Fonseca Carrillo, one of the founders of the powerful Guadalajara cartel. Amado earned a pilot's license and became an experienced pilot, capable of handling several aircraft from single engine Cessnas to the four engined Lockheed C-130 Hercules. He also became involved in the marijuana trafficking business, and by 1980 had enough influence to run a small but heavily armed gang. Guadalajara cartel In 1980, his uncle introduced him to Miguel Ángel Félix Gallardo; a ex-police officer from Sinaloa who worked for drug lord Pedro Avilés. Félix Gallardo hoped to create a confederation of drug traffickers and wanted someone to chauffer him across the country to meet the leaders of each plazas to unite them Avilés. Carrillo flies his uncle and Félix Gallardo to Ojinaga, where they meet Pablo Acosta. There, he presents a contraband Rolex to Acosta as a token of the new partership, which the unsuspecting veteran gleefully accepts. Then the trio head to Tijuana and get Benjamín Arellano Félix and his brothers on board, and then met several other plaza leaders including Filemón Medina, Manuel Salcido Uzeta and Rene Verdugo Urquidez. Amado and his uncle try cocaine in a party organized by Alberto Sicilia Falcon, beginning Amado's liking for cocaine. They return back to Guadalajara, where Félix Gallardo hosts a meeting of all the smugglers to officially start their cartel. However, Pedro Avilés immediately kicked out Pablo Acosta from the partnership for not showing respect, breaking the consortium. Avilés decides to take Félix Gallardo back to Sinaloa and presumably kill him for being an upstart. Carrillo offers to get his men and kill Pedro if necessary, but Félix Gallardo declines and politely thanks him. Salvador Osuna Nava, the Director-General of the Dirección Federal de Seguridad (DFS) was one of the attendees of the meeting and was impressed by Félix's plan, and teams up with Don Neto and rescues Félix Gallardo. The latter shoots and kills Pedro. The cartel starts running, and all of it's members including Amado grow richer. The DFS were not pleased with their shares, and decide to kill cartel member and prominent smuggler Victor Molina. In the shootout, one of the cousins of the Arellano Félix brothers is killed, angering Ramón Arellano Félix. Félix Gallardo sends Amado, Joaquín Guzmán Loera and Cuco to gather as much men as possible and ambush the DFS agent responsible for the death of Molina. Amado captures him, and presents him to Ramon, who shoots him on the crotch and Amado and Chapo bury him alive. Rafael Caro Quintero, one of the leaders of the cartel stages a fake kidnapping of his lover Sofia Conesa, angering Conesa's father, who was the Secretary of Education. In exchange for Rafael's safety, Félix Gallardo agrees to do a personal favour for Osuna Nava. Carrillo is forced to pilot a military transport aircraft carrying high-grade American weapons to a rebel group in Nicaragua. However, upon landing, Félix and Carrillo are captured by the rebel group and are tortured, as per Osuna Nava's orders till they are rescued by an American accompanying them. Carrillo is then sent to learn the tricks of the trade from Pablo Acosta by Félix Gallardo. At the same time, Félix Gallardo decides to enter the cocaine trafficking business, and Amado supported the move. At this point, a rift begins to develop between Amado and Rafael. Amado begins repackaging Rafael's marijuana before shipping them, angering Rafael. Things turn to the worst when Amado playfully courts Sofia, prompting Rafael to fire his rounds into the ceiling of the nightclub they were partying at before Chapo takes him away. Amado watched all of that with a smirk. In 1984, Félix Gallardo calls in a meeting where he appoints Héctor Palma Salazar as the leader of operations in Mazatlan, and Amado as the leader of operations in Juárez; angering both Caro Quintero and Acosta. This adds to the rift between Amado and Rafael, accelerating Caro Quintero's downward spiral. November of that year, Rafael's prized farm: the Rancho Búfalo is raided by the Mexican military, causing damages worth upto $2.8 billion. Carrillo is sent to Ojinaga to convince Acosta that the game is still safe, and learns of Acosta's smuggling tricks, including carrying marijuana in the gas tanks of trucks. He also learns that Acosta values human life more than other drug traffickers, and believes his men even if Amado thought that they were lying. He shares everything to Miguel. The source of the leak is found to be Enrique Camarena Salazar, a Drug Enforcement Administration agent. The DFS manipulate Rafael into ordering his kidnapping, and the agent is tortured and killed. His death sparks a retaliation from the United States, who close the Mexican border and apply pressure on the leaders of the cartel. Caro Quintero flees to Costa Rica; but Félix Gallardo betrays him in order to save himself. However, the bounty on Félix Gallardo's head is still not removed, and he, along with Don Neto go into hiding. Don Neto is eventually arrested by the police, but the status of Felix was still not known. After Félix Gallardo's disappearance, Benjamín calls in a meeting in his mansion in Ensemada, which Carrillo, along with Acosta, Chapo, Ramon, Francisco Rafael Arellano Félix, Isabella Bautista and a few other high ranking smugglers attend. There, Benjamín proposed to continue the smuggling activities without the three founders, but then out of nowhere, the military surround the place and Félix Gallardo arrives; taking control of his cartel back. He kicks Bautista out, and reaffirms his control over the cartel. After the meeting is over, Amado meets with Miguel, where he laments the arrest of his uncle, and then promise to work together. Juárez Cartel Amado became the leader of the Juárez Cartel. While the Arellano Félix brothers continued to smuggle heroin, Carrillo Fuentes trafficked cocaine belonging to the Cali cartel. Like the other drug traffickers, he took 50% of the cocaine trafficked as payment. In 1994, following the death of Pablo Escobar, Gilberto Rodriguez Orejuela of the Cali cartel announces that his cartel will cease it's operations after six months. Amado, was displeased after hearing of Cali cartel's surrender deal. Pacho Herrera, one of the four partners of the Cali cartel is sent to Mexico by Gilberto to lay low after he murdered Claudio Salazar of the rival Norte del Valle cartel. Pacho and his brother, Alvaro Herrera arrive in Mexico and greet Amado as he arrives in a plane full of US dollars, half of it belonging to the Cali cartel. Amado attempts to convince Pacho to give up the surrender deal, but Pacho refuses. Amado takes him to Juárez, and explains him the importance of the newly signed NAFTA between USA and Mexico, and warns him that he is quitting the right business at the wrong time. Amado wanted Pacho to leave the Cali cartel and start a new enterprise, but the Colombian refuses all offers due to his loyalty to the Rodriguez Brothers. Amado is then contacted by Orlando Henao Montoya of the Norte del Valle cartel. Sharing a similar view for the future, Amado agrees to partner with the Henao after it is apparent that the Cali cartel is finished. Henao then asks for a favour of eliminating Pacho, for which Amado reluctantly agrees. Norte del Valle cartel members assault Pacho's house, but they are all shot killed and Pacho survives, but Alvaro is paralyzed after being shot. Personality Just like his mentor Felix Gallardo, Amado is very business-oriented and does not hesitate to kill partners in exchange for more money. Despite this, he still remained loyal to Felix, despite knowing that he had a part in the arrest of his uncle. Category:Individuals Category:Mexicans Category:Drug lords Category:Guadalajara cartel members Category:Juárez cartel members